Moving House in China

For two and a half years, I lived and worked in Chongqing. I became accustomed to the absurd mound of peppers in nearly every dish, the social life built around scalding hot pots, the steep and winding roads, the wild taxi drivers, and the daily fog. Chongqing was my introduction to China, to Chinese people and culture, to the pace of city life, and to English teaching. I made many local and foreign friends; some left, others stayed.

Some months ago, I began to express interest in moving to Kunming. Time passed, as big moves do not always happen quickly. In the back of my mind, I knew the time would come eventually. Then, one day, it did.

"Still interested in moving to Kunming?" the regional manager asked. "Yes, definitely," I replied.

Any teacher who has moved to China from abroad probably remembers the butterflies that come shortly after accepting a position with English 1 and committing to leaving home. Not everyone feels them, but a few of those butterflies returned the moment I said, "Yes."

The very next day, I found myself thinking, "What now?" I should have sat down and made a list, but I did not. Instead, I followed the do-whatever-comes-to-mind approach. I do not recommend this. It led to unnecessary stress and a lot of last-minute searching.

I should have followed up the list by buying my ticket. That would have given me a clear deadline to start dealing with everything in my apartment. With that in place, I would have had a much longer runway to prepare properly.

Do the difficult things first, while they are easy. Someone clever said that. I struggle with clearing out drawers and cupboards. I dislike dealing with clutter. It means confronting all the junk I never needed in the first place.

I opened my largest piece of luggage in the middle of the living room and began emptying my wardrobe, rolling up clothes and tucking them tightly into the corners. I like to think this saves space, although I am sure if my mum saw this method, she would wonder why I still cannot fold my clothes like a proper adult.

I knew I would not be taking everything with me on the plane, and that I would want to ship some things before I left, using a moving company.

"Hey, I need a..."
"Yes, Alipay."

I could not even finish the question. After two years, I am still amazed by the convenience of services here. Debang Express offers collection within two hours of placing an order, no matter how little information you give them. They weighed everything right at my front door and I paid on the spot.

Goodbyes should be staggered. I managed this well. I said some farewells weeks before leaving and spaced the rest out gradually. Formal relationships deserve formal goodbyes, while informal ones should not be forced. They tend to unfold naturally, in their own time.

Living abroad, I formed friendships that were unlike any I had made at home. Some friends serve as reminders, some as challenges. Some lift me up when I feel lost on the other side of the world. Some teach me about China, while others are curious to learn everything about the United States. I wanted to remember each person as I had known them.

Perhaps you need to get far away from someone to truly understand their value as a friend. What I have realised is that with every move, I grow closer to some friends and farther from others. Even so, bringing my closest friends together for one final farewell was the best decision I made.

My community of fellow teachers gathered for hot pot on my last evening in Chongqing. There is no better final meal when you are leaving that city.

At ten o’clock on Monday morning, after a Sunday night of hot pot and KTV, I caught my flight to Kunming. This was an early departure. I had not slept much, as it is quite a long taxi ride from Yuanjiagang to the airport, and I did not want to risk being late, especially as I knew I would be checking luggage.

This is not a recommendation for early flights, but in this situation, I still believe it was the right choice. I had enjoyed myself, said my goodbyes, and there was no reason to prolong the farewell.

In my experience, including this flight, I have often been allowed to carry on nearly any amount of luggage, which has made it possible to avoid checking most of it.

Both when I first arrived in Chongqing and when I arrived here in Kunming, English 1 had a hotel reservation prepared for me. I am well practised in the usual explanation of how I came to be in China during the pandemic, and in this case, I was fortunate to have a friendly member of staff from my new school accompanying me.

I like to make full use of the conveniences that come with staying in a hotel, so even though it was just past midday, I brewed myself a coffee before heading out to meet my new English 1 colleagues.

My general advice is always to try new things when the opportunity arises. However, this philosophy is not quite so straightforward when it comes to food, so it is important to know your own limits. In all my travels around China, I have found that every place has introduced me to some new aspect of local cuisine, and Kunming has been no exception.

I strongly believe that one cannot truly understand a city and its layout without walking its pavements on long walks and exploring its streets by taxi or bicycle. For this reason, I did not begin my search for a flat until I had arrived. I spent two days covering as much ground as possible, matching what I saw with the gridded layout on Baidu Maps. I discovered a few neighbourhoods that had the right atmosphere.

I deliberately avoided using an estate agent at first, knowing that they would likely interfere with the experience by trying to tell me what I wanted in a home before either of us had any idea what that might be. This approach served me well in many ways, as I wandered into some charming, tucked-away areas that I would not have found otherwise. However, I did not meet a single landlord or anyone with the authority to rent out a flat. Instead, I spoke with retired grandmothers and gatekeepers who were more than happy to show me around their compounds, but who could offer little help when it came to finding an available room.

I scribbled my phone number on scraps of paper and passed them to wrinkled hands, receiving promises of phone calls once vacancies were identified. No phone calls ever came.

I arrived in Kunming on a Monday, and by Thursday, I surrendered to the process and met with an eighteen-year-old in a suit. To the agent’s credit, I am now living in a flat I really enjoy, complete with an open balcony where I can soak up the Yunnan sunshine.

Whether at home or abroad, there is always an adjustment period after moving to a new place. I was aware of this when the time came, but, in a strange way, settling into life in Kunming took longer for me than when I first moved to China.

When I arrived in Chongqing, everything was new to me, which made it exciting and worth exploring. I did not worry about finding the perfect grocery store or restaurant, and the quickest route to work was not especially important. As long as I got there, I was happy, because a longer commute meant more to see.

This time, I wanted to hit the ground running, but instead, I struggled to find my rhythm. Things have since fallen into place, and I am certainly better for the experience. I did not write this blog to give advice, but rather to offer future English 1 teachers a small glimpse into life in China.

Still, I would like to share one piece of advice: a bad day abroad can feel worse than a bad day at home, simply because you are without your usual comforts. But in the end, a bad day is just that — one day. It is worth enduring a few of them now and then for the good ones that follow.